3rd Philippine Summer Ball in Baguio

In cooperation with the University of Baguio, the city government
of Baguio, Dance Vision Philippines, Dancesport Council of the Philippines, Professional Dancesport Association of the Philippines, Congresswoman Lucy Torres-Gomez, and Sun Cellular, the Bong Marquez
Group (BMG) successfully held yet another edition of the Philippine Summer Ball -- this
time bringing the prestigious national competition to the City of Pines! I am
incredibly happy and proud to say that I am part of both the organizing
committee and the competitor set that participated in this event.

The hard work of BMG certainly paid off—as the event was
participated by more than a hundred couples from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao
last May 4 and 5 in the University of Baguio Gymnasium. Everyone seemed happy with how the whole two-day
affair was executed—from the Dance Camp on the first day, to the competition
proper on the second day. It was a tiring weekend for everyone but the trip to
Baguio was definitely a worthwhile one.

Bringing the 3rd Philippine Summer Ball to Baguio
seemed like a fantastic idea, since participants can pursue their passion for
dance and at the same time take a break from the hustle and bustle of Manila. What
better way to enjoy the summer than go to a city with an incredible, cool
weather? And there are lots of sight-seeing to do as well!

showcasing our dance skills and group synchronization in front of The Mansion, LOL

Summer Ball is special and memorable to me since I
experienced a lot of “first time” here. For instance, I caught chicken pox a
month before the competition. I was quarantined at home for three weeks, making
me unable to practice. So essentially, my partner and I only had 5 days of
practice before the competition! Haha! Secondly, it was our first time to join
the Grade B event. For those who are not familiar with dancesport, Grade B is the
4-dance event: Chacha, Rumba, Jive, and Samba. I’ve been dreaming of learning
the Samba in detail ever since, and Summer Ball gave me a chance to. Thanks to
our awesome teammates who not only created our Samba routine but also taught it
to us in detail!

We didn’t get into the Grade B finals but I was blissful
enough to share the same dance floor with the awesome athletes of Grade B
(mostly Team Cebu and BMG). It felt like a cockfight! Everyone from the audience
was either standing or sitting at the edge of his chair. The battle was so
exciting, especially the Samba round, and I was part of it! It was crazy!

Aside from the Summer Ball experience of course, I totally
enjoyed going around the city, eating in new restaurants, working with a beer
in hand, meeting new people, simply enjoying the views, feeling the cold breeze
in the balcony in our rented house in Ambuklao. It was work, leisure, and dance
combined. We got to roam around Baguio and even got to visit Sagada to relax and chill after the competition. What could possibly top that?